It is with a heavy heart that many are learning the news that Suzzanne Douglas, a veteran actress with four decades of stage and screen work to her credit, has died.
Last seen in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, Douglas was a reliable force in front of the camera and an influential confidant behind the scenes. While a cause of death has yet to be confirmed, Douglas, herself, revealed earlier this year that she experienced “two life threatening cancers” that had changed her life.
Many avid pop culture fans would recall the actress’ best role as matriarch Jerri Peterson on Robert Townsend’s WB-created show, The Parent ‘Hood, which ran from 1995 to 1999. But her work didn’t just surround the realm of comedy, as one of her most endearing roles came alongside Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr., and Savion Glover in 1989’s Tap. She also endeared herself to millions of Black cinephiles as Angela in 1998’s How Stella Got Her Groove Back.
“Don’t let poor health interrupt your purpose,” Douglas wrote on her Facebook at the time. “God’s mission and plan for our lives takes our being committed to our mind, body and soul.”
Her passing was confirmed by her family Tuesday night, July 6.
“Suzzanne Douglas, a beautiful and talented actress, made her transition today,” her cousin Angie Tee posted to Facebook. “She warmed our hearts on movie screens and television sets all over the world. This beautiful soul was my cousin.”
Born in Chicago, Douglas was raised by a single mother, along with three siblings, in public housing, and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Illinois State University. She also received her master’s in music from the Manhattan School of Music.
“My heart is full this morning, because yesterday I lost my amazing dancing partner on TV for 5 years, Suzzanne Douglas,” Robert Townsend wrote in a post to his Instagram page Wednesday afternoon. “She was always a part of the ultimate plan, [to] create a TV series with old fashion[ed] morals and values, using the show as a Trojan horse to help raise a generation of Black kids without mamas or daddies, quietly planting seeds of hope and new aspirations in between the jokes.”
Douglas earned an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture for Tap, and had a host of high-profile films in the early 2000s ranging from 2003’s School of Rock to 2015’s Whitney Houston: A Tragic Love, where she portrayed gospel legend Cissy Houston.
Her appearance in the acclaimed 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us, earned two Emmy Awards and 16 nominations, and gave way to what is now her final role in Angel Kristi Williams’ and Felicia Pride’s Really Love. The film, which finds her playing next to Uzo Aduba, Michael Ealy, and Naturi Naughton, is set in a gentrifying Washington, DC, where a rising Black painter tries to break into a competitive art world while facing a whirlwind romance they never expected.
Douglas is survived by her husband, neuro-radiologist Roy Jonathan Cobb, and their daughter, Jordan.
Friends, former castmates, and fellow creatives all share their remembrances to Suzzanne Douglas, which you can read for yourself below.
Suzzanne Douglas was a quiet, elegant force as we made WHEN THEY SEE US. A gentlewoman. A gem of a lady. A confident, caring actor who breathed life into the words and made them shimmer. I’m grateful that our paths in this life crossed. May she journey on in peace and love. pic.twitter.com/1ZhaucGEiK
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 7, 2021
I woke up this morning to the news that Suzzanne Douglas has passed away. I worked with Suzzanne in the film Inkwell. She was an elegant, gentle warm spirit. My deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. May she rest in love. pic.twitter.com/fBUf3coIVb
— Jada Pinkett Smith (@jadapsmith) July 7, 2021
Awww man…. I remember being at a party with you. It was just about 10 of us. We talked about life, race, the world….We laughed, ate, shared!!! I'm so happy I got to tell you how much I loved your work. RIP Beautiful, talented, dancing, Queen. 🙏🏿❤🕊https://t.co/45oHGmAaME
— Viola Davis (@violadavis) July 7, 2021
I’m at such a loss. I was a Philly kid straight off the Greyhound bus who took a lot of things 4 granted. Watching you work & move gracefully from scene to scene…made me love & respect this business. Our talks…we had lots of them. You taught me so much. I will never 4get you💔 pic.twitter.com/5rLZCIOHuj
— #WeBackInside (@ReaganGomez) July 7, 2021
So very sad to hear about the passing of Suzzanne Douglas. Such an amazing and kind artist who blessed the world and our baby Really Love with her command and mastery and talent. She shined so very bright. So very bright. Rest in peace. #ReallyLove pic.twitter.com/3lzYmspmbf
— Felicia Pride (@feliciapride) July 7, 2021